Alabama football had failed to score 30 points just once this season before coming to Neyland Stadium on Saturday afternoon. That changed in a big way as Tennessee held the Crimson Tide to to 17 points in the Vols seven-point victory.
One of the biggest plays of the game came late in the first quarter when Jermod McCoy intercepted a Jalen Milroe pass and returned it 54 yards into Alabama territory. The play was a goal line fade intended for star Alabama receiver Ryan Williams.
MOD SAID THAT’S MINE@Jermodmccoy 🖐️ #GBO 🍊 pic.twitter.com/aKYAviunOs
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) October 20, 2024
One Alabama receiver took exception to the play call. Caleb Odom, a 6-foot-5 freshman receiver from Georgia, retweeted posts saying that they should have thrown the jump ball play to him instead of Williams.
Odom has since un-retweeted the posts but did not post any apology or anything else addressing the incident.
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While on the surface Odom’s criticism seems valid, it really isn’t in reality. Odom is a freshman receiver who’s caught just five passes for 45 yards this season. The tall receiver played just eight total offensive snaps in the game and didn’t record a single catch.
On the other hand, Williams is one of the best receivers in the country despite being a true freshman. The dynamic playmaker has caught 31 passes for 649 yards and seven touchdowns.
And while it wasn’t the most efficient performance, Williams still caught eight passes for 73 yards and a touchdown against Tennessee. His touchdown came late in the first half on a play very similar to the one that McCoy recorded an interception on.
The anger expressed on X (Twitter) does illustrate just how dominant Tennessee’s defensive performance was and how it had the Crimson Tide’s offense frustrated. Alabama totaled just four yards per play in the loss as they failed to eclipse 315 yards of offense.
